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Social Media As A Driver
Social media is a great opportunity for brands to engage with audiences, create community, and drive conversion. While a maturing form of media, social media has become a staple in a brand’s communication strategy. That said, within the social media matrix, content reigns as the most important aspect. There are four different types of content brands should aim to produce on varying social media channels: original content, user-generated content (UGC), co-created content, and curated content. Each has its pros and cons, but ultimately, the merit of each is that they all push towards the ultimate goal: conversions, or to put it plainly, sales.
Original Content
Original content is just as it sounds. Content developed by brands that they have created. Through original content, brands are able to truly own their brand's tone, voice, and story. Whether they are generating more text-based or image-based content, original content allows brands to specifically dictate the direction of their brand's story. Of course, the effort of original content can be a heavy lift depending on the brand, it still offers value in that it helps the brand create a world in which consumers can exist.
User Generated Content (UGC)
UGC has become a growing phenomenon in the social media marketing space. Pairing with the influencer marketing industry, which is valued at $31 billion, UGC has its own unique benefits and drawbacks. One benefit of UGC content is that brands get to tap into a new audience and build trust through the work of the user who has generated the content. It must be noted that UGC content does not even have to be created by large or even micro influencers. Instead, it can be created by everyday people who have something to say. Think about the Gap’s recent commercial with Katseye, so individuals created content that mimicked the dances done in that video.
Co-created Content
Primarily popular on YouTube, co-created, like UGC, helps brands tap into the audience of their creator. From a benefit standpoint, this is great because it allows brands to expand reach and craft a unique story with an individual or other brand. One of the drawbacks includes if your co-creator gets into a controversy, unfortunately, it also affects you.
Curated Content
Finally, we have curated content. Curated content is arguably the most underappreciated but highly beneficial form of content. Like a museum curator, curated content involves using content from other creators to create pages, reshare content, and more. It allows brands to tell a story without the work of creating their own original content. Brands that do this well include sports and motivational companies, focused on collecting clips from the greats.
What Type Of Content Should Brands Invest In?
The truth is, brands should invest in all four types of content. While doing all equally, is not the best strategy for any brand a healthy mix of all should be implemented. In a world where content is king, brands need to be optimizing for content that ultimately drives conversions. But that is not possible (at least long-term) without a strategic and intentional content plan.